The fertility trends in the United States, France, and Switzerland show a clear downward movement over the past two decades, although the three countries began at different levels. The United States starts with the highest fertility but experiences a steady and continuous decline throughout the period. France initially maintains relatively stable and comparatively high fertility, but from around the early 2010s onward, its rates also begin to drop. Switzerland starts at the lowest level and exhibits only modest fluctuations over time, with a slight rise in the mid-2000s followed by a return to similarly low values in recent years. By the end of the observation period, all three countries converge toward similarly low fertility levels, reflecting a broader demographic trend across high-income societies.

When interpreting the chart, it is useful to consider more information on:

• Policy measures (e.g. family policies, parental leave, childcare)
• Economic uncertainty and labour market conditions
• Changing norms regarding family size and timing of parenthood

The three countries display distinct patterns in female employment over time. The United States shows the highest overall employment rate among the three and demonstrates a gradual upward trend with some fluctuations, indicating a relatively stable integration of women into the labour market. Switzerland starts at a similar level to the United States but follows a different trajectory: after a moderate decline during the mid-2000s, employment levels stabilise and then rise again toward the end of the period, suggesting a recovery and renewed increase in women’s labour market participation. France, in contrast, begins at the lowest level and shows a slow but steady upward trend across the entire timeframe, reflecting incremental improvements in women’s participation but remaining consistently below the levels seen in the United States and Switzerland. Together, these patterns illustrate that while all three countries have seen progress in female employment, they differ in pace, volatility, and long-term trajectories, reflecting variations in labour market structures, childcare systems, and policy environments.

When reading the chart, it is helpful to consider more information on:

• Sectoral structure (services vs. industry)
• Prevalence of part-time work
• Legal frameworks enabling or constraining women’s labour market participation

The scatterplots show a clear global shift between 2000 and 2025: fertility declines substantially across almost all regions, while female employment changes far more moderately. This creates a more compressed distribution in 2025 and makes the negative association between fertility and employment visually flatter than in 2000. Regional patterns remain recognisable: many African countries continue to combine comparatively high fertility with mixed employment levels; Europe and East Asia cluster at very low fertility with moderate to high female employment; and Latin America and parts of the Middle East occupy a transitional zone.

In contexts such as Iran and Algeria, low fertility coincides with low female employment not because women are choosing between work and family, but because both outcomes are shaped by structural constraints. Limited access to formal employment, gender-segregated labour markets, insufficient childcare infrastructure, and legal or institutional barriers restrict women’s participation in the labour force. At the same time, fertility has fallen due to broader demographic transitions—urbanisation, rising education levels, delayed marriage, and improved access to contraception. These cases illustrate that declining fertility does not necessarily coincide with higher economic participation of women; rather, both indicators can move independently depending on social, economic, and institutional conditions.